Thundarr The Barbarian in The Sorceress & The Mistletoe
by Thundarr The Barbarian
Summary: Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla follow a band of mutants who seek to turn the wizard Gemini from stone back into flesh. Along the way they discover the last place on Earth which still celebrates Christmas. Now they must defend this peaceful community from Gemini's mutant's, and perhaps from Gemini himself.
1. Chapter 1

**Thundarr**

**The**

**Barbarian**

**In**

**The Sorceress & The Mistletoe**

**Chapter One**

In the year 1994, from out of space came a runaway planet, hurtling between The Earth and The Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction. Man's civilization is cast in ruin. Two thousand years later, Earth is reborn. A strange new world rises from the old. A world of savagery, super science, and sorcery.

Far to the north, three figures make their way across the ruined landscape. Winter has come in full force, a blizzard of epic proportions blowing across the frozen land. The wind is howling, blowing snowflakes the size of human hands nearly horizontally through the air. The three figures struggling through snow that reaches nearly to their hips are so heavily wrapped in furs, one could almost mistake them for three great arctic beasts.

In the lead of the trio is a man, wrapped in furs, which cover his fur boots, loincloth, and vest. His blonde hair is the colour of straw, and is worn long, down to his shoulders. On a leather thong around his neck hangs the tooth of a great predatory beast. On his wrists are a pair of heavy leather bracers. On the left bracer is a golden sword hilt. His name is Thundarr, a powerful barbarian. Once enslaved by the wizard Sabian, Thundarr made a daring escape. Now, with the help of his two companions and his mighty Sunsword, he fights for freedom and justice. Thundarr is leading his noble steed, Lightning, by the reins. A stallion with a coat so white, the beast is virtually invisible in the blizzard.

Following close behind Thundarr is someone even larger and more powerfully built than the barbarian. Beneath the many layers of animal pelts is a leonine creature called a mok. His name is Ookla. He combines the features of a lion and a man in much the same way the Minotaur of ancient Greek myth combines the features of a man and a bull. His head is that of a great lion, with a golden mane of hair. The fur on his face is coloured black and gray, giving him an even fiercer look than he might otherwise have. He stands well over 7' tall, his body covered in the sleek tan coloured fur of a cougar or mountain lion. Beneath his layers of animal skins, he wears a fur loincloth and a pair of fur boots. While nature had already provided Ookla with a coat, moks are indigenous to temperate through tropical climates. They don't really care much for the cold. Like Thundarr, Ookla was also enslaved by the wizard Sabian. When Thundarr made his escape, he took Ookla with him. The two of them have been inseparable ever since. Like Thundarr, Ookla guides his mount through the snow. But as moks are too heavy to be carried by horses, Ookla rides a yellow beast called an equart, which Ookla had named Comet. Much larger and stronger than a horse, an equart is none the less nearly as fast and thus makes an excellent mount.

Bringing up the rear of the group is the smallest of the trio. Beneath the layers of animal pelts is a beautiful olive skinned young woman with almond shaped eyes. Her hair is long, reaching halfway down her back, and black as a raven's wing. She wears a very impractical blue leotard (especially in this weather) with golden trim, gold coloured boots which come up nearly to her knees, gold bracers on her wrists, and a gold circlet about her head. She is Princess Ariel, a powerful sorceress. Her stepfather is the wizard Sabian, and she was the one who helped Thundarr and Ookla escape his dungeons. She has been traveling with them ever since, using her magic and her vast knowledge of the world at large, and it's history, to aid her two friends in their adventures. She leads her chestnut coloured mare, whom she had named Chestnut, by the reins. Being the smallest of the three, she uses the path that the other two had tramples into the snow. Even so, it is very slow going. And the snow is falling so heavily that the trail is being filled in almost as fast as it is being made.

"THUNDARR!" Ariel screams in an attempt to be heard over the wind, "WE CAN'T STAY OUT IN THIS WEATHER! WE MUST FIND SHELTER!"

Thundarr stops and looks back towards Ariel. He can barely see her through the blizzard, even though she can't be more than ten or fifteen feet behind him.

"THE MUTANTS TOOK GEMINI THIS WAY!" Thundarr screams back, "WE MUST CATCH UP TO THEM BEFORE THEY CAN REVIVE THE WIZARD!"

Weeks before, Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla had learned that a band of mutants loyal to the wizard Gemini had taken the wizard's body so that they could attempt to revive him. Years ago, Thundarr had done battle with Gemini. During the fight, he had thrown the wizard into a magical pool which petrifies any living creature that enters it, turning him to stone. Now apparently there's another magical pool far to the north which can reverse the process and bring him back to life. Thundarr had vowed not to allow that to happen.

"THUNDARR!" screams Ariel, "THE MUTANTS HAVE LIKELY TAKEN SHELTER FROM THE STORM! WE SHOULD AS WELL! WE'LL NEVER FIND THEM IN THIS MESS!"

Ookla howls his agreement in his bestial tongue. Thundarr has to agree with his friends. Trying to find the mutants in a blizzard like this was a fool's errand. He just hated the thought of Gemini returning to life. But in his desire to prevent that from happening, he stupidly plunged head first into this blizzard. He had foolishly forgotten that Nature laughs at the stubbornness of man. Now he and his two closest friends were in serious danger of freezing to death.

"WE WILL MAKE FOR THOSE TREES UP AHEAD!" Thundarr screams back, "WE CAN FIND SHELTER THERE!"

"WHAT TREES?!" asks Ariel, "WE CAN'T SEE FIVE FEET AHEAD OF US!"

"I SAW THEM IN THE DISTANCE BEFORE THE SNOW STARTED!" replies Thundarr, "WE'VE BEEN HEADING STEADILY TOWARDS THEM ALL ALONG! JUST A LITTLE FARTHER AND WE SHOULD BE THERE! THE TREES WILL PROVIDE SOME PROTECTION FROM THE SNOW AND WIND, AS WELL AS PROVIDING WOOD FOR A FIRE!"

"THEN LEAD ON!" screams Ariel, "BUT HURRY! MY HANDS ARE SO COLD I DON'T THINK I CAN WORK MY MAGIC!"

Thundarr turns back to the path ahead and begins plodding through the snow. Ookla follows close behind, following in Thundarr's and Lightning's footsteps. Princess Ariel follows the mok, her own footsteps going into the foot prints of the two ahead of her. Hours go by, and the three of them are still leading their mounts through the heavy snow. Eventually, Princess Ariel collapses in exhaustion. Ookla glances back and sees the sorceress laying face down in the snow, her mare nudging her with its nose. Ookla howls at Thundarr to stop. Then the two of them trudge back to help their friend. Thundarr helps Ookla lift Ariel up and wrap her under his own animal skins. Thundarr takes Ariel's layers of pelts and wraps both the mok and the princess in them, so that Ariel's body is making direct contact with Ookla's fur covered skin, and thus sharing each other's body heat.

Then they continue on towards the north. Thundarr and his stallion, Lightning, taking the lead once again. Ookla followed close behind, carrying Princess Ariel close to his body under several layers of animal skins while leading Comet and Chestnut by the reins. Hours pass, and still they wade through the heavy snow. Eventually, Thundarr too stumbles and falls. No matter how determined the barbarian is, the blizzard and his exhaustion are just too much. Carefully, Ookla scoops up the barbarian and carries him under the layers of pelts as well. With his body heat keeping Thundarr and Ariel alive, Ookla continues on in search of these trees Thundarr had spoken of.

Hours pass, and they have yet to find the shelter of the trees. Even with his great mok strength, Ookla's legs begin to give way beneath him. First he begins to sway as he walks. Then he begins to stumble. He forces himself back up and continues on, but very unsteadily. Finally, the strain of fighting through the blizzard is too much, even for the mighty Ookla. Exhausted, the mok collapses in the snow. He closes his cat like eyes.

_Just a little rest, _he thinks to himself, _Just a little rest, then I'll find us some shelter._

As Ookla slips away into unconsciousness, he could swear he can hear bells jingling in the distance.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Thundarr's eyes flutter open. For a moment, he's uncertain of where he is or what has happened. He then remembers the blizzard, being lost in the snow, and then collapsing in exhaustion. After that, it's all a blur. He vaguely recalls strong hands lifting him up, and being submerged in a warm bath, but he may have dreamed it. The barbarian begins to take in his surroundings. He's lying in a large bed, with a soft mattress and big fluffy pillows. The bed is located in a fair sized room, with a wolf skin rug on the floor and a stone fireplace in the far wall, with a crackling fire warming the room. He is covered by an incredibly thick blanket, which appears to be stuffed with down like a giant pillow. The bed sheets are made of a smooth fabric that feels soft against his skin. It is at this moment that he realizes he has no clothes on. Even his leather bracers have been removed, and his Sunsword is nowhere to be found. The relief he felt at learning of his rescue turns to alarm as he searches for his weapon.

Thundarr prepares to pounce as the doorknob begins to turn in the door. The door swings open, and in walks what appears to be two little girls. Immediately Thundarr jumps back under the covers to hide his naked body. The girls giggle at the barbarian's embarrassment. Right behind the two girls comes what appears to be a little boy, pushing a cart covered with serving trays. The scent of hot food comes wafting to Thundarr's nose, causing his stomach to growl like an angry mok.

"Oh good, you're awake," says one of the girls.

"Where am I?" asks Thundarr, "Who are you? What am I doing here? Where are my friends? Why am I naked?"

"Calm down, friend," says the other girl, "You're perfectly safe here."

"Then answer my questions, child!"

"We're not children," says the boy, "We're old enough to be your ancestors."

"What?"

"We're nearly two thousand years old," says one of the girls, "Now if you'll just calm yourself, we will be happy to answer your questions."

"Your friends are perfectly safe," says the other girl, "they're sleeping in the other guest rooms down the hall."

"My name's Skip," says the little man, "and these are my sisters, Bella and Donna."

"I am Thundarr, a barbarian," replies Thundarr.

"We've heard of you," says Bella.

"You're famous," adds Donna.

"And cute," adds Bella, and the two sisters start giggling.

"Females," groans Thundarr as he rolls his eyes.

"You and your friends are guests in the town of Yule," explains Skip, "Father found you and your friends caught in that blizzard last week. Had he not brought you here, you would surely have perished."

"Last week?"

"You and your friends have been asleep for seven days. You were all very close to death. You're lucky Father found you in time."

"What of our mounts?"

"Your horses and the mok's equart are fine," replies Bella, "They're resting comfortably in our stables."

"And what of my clothes?"

"They're being cleaned, dried, fumigated, and delowsed," says Skip, "Honestly, when was the last time you washed those furs of yours? They were disgusting!"

"You'll be given some clothes to wear until you get them back," adds Donna.

"Unfortunately," quips Bella, and the girls start giggling again.

"Females," groans Thundarr and he rolls his eyes.

"Eat your food," says Skip, "We'll be back soon with your clothes."

The little man wheels the cart of food over to the barbarian and lifts the silver dome off of the platter. There is fried eggs, sausages, ham, bacon, and what looks like a stack of square pieces of bread with small holes in them. There's a small ceramic pitcher of a dark, almost black, liquid, and a large pewter mug filled with a steaming hot, light brown, sweet smelling liquid. Thundarr picks up one of the odd pieces of bread.

"What is this?" he asks.

"Those are waffles," says Donna.

"Try them with the syrup," adds Bella, "They're delicious."

"Wah-fulls?"

"Just try them," say the girls.

Thundarr picks up the small pitcher and pours the syrup onto the waffle in his hand, then takes a huge bite. His eyes widen in surprise. He picks up the steaming hot mug and takes a sip.

"What is this?" he asks.

"Hot cocoa," replies Skip.

"It's good," says Thundarr.

"Enjoy," says Bella.

"We'll see you soon," adds Donna.

The three little people leave the barbarian to his meal, which he attacks with enthusiasm. Thundarr ignores the eating utensils that he had been supplied with, instead picking the food up with his fingers and shoving it in his mouth. His warrior instincts begin to subside, as he gets the impression that his host means him no harm. He has never heard of an evil wizard who treats his prisoners to breakfast in bed, nor who feeds his prisoners with such rich fare. Unless given reason to do otherwise, the barbarian decides to trusts his host's word that he is a guest, and not a prisoner.

Down the hall, Princess Ariel stirs from her slumber. Her eyes flutter open, as she recalls collapsing exhausted in the snow. He vaguely remembers the feel of Ookla's fur against her skin, and the sound of his steadily beating heart. The can vaguely recall the sensation of being submerged in a warm bath, but is unsure if that was a dream or a memory. Now she finds herself in a large and soft bed. The sheets are smooth against her skin, and she recognizes the material as being satin. The thick blanket that covers her is practically a giant pillow. She remembers having such blankets as a child. Duvets, they are called, stuffed with down and very warm. The sorceress sits up and looks around the room. There's a fur rug on the floor, and a stone fireplace by the foot of her bed, with a crackling fire warming the room. She also notices that she is naked beneath her duvet. Just as she's about to get up and look around the room, the doorknob begins to turn. Quickly the sorceress slips under the covers, but holds one hand out ready to cast a spell, just in case. The door opens, and in walks Skip and his two sisters, Bella and Donna. The two girls are pushing a cart with a dome covered tray on it.

"Good morning!" says Skip cheerfully.

"Good morning," replies Ariel, "Who are you? And where am I? Are my friends okay?"

"You ask almost as many questions as that barbarian," says Skip.

"You've spoken to Thundarr?"

"Yes, he's fine. So is the mok," says Skip, "My name's Skip, and these are my sisters, Bella and Donna."

"Hello," says the girls with a curtsy.

"Hello," replies Ariel.

"As to where you are, this is the town of Yule."

"Yule?"

"Yes, Yule," says Skip, "Father found you and your friends caught in the blizzard last week. If he hadn't brought you here you surely would have perished."

"If you don't mind me asking," says Ariel, "Where are my clothes?"

"Being cleaned," replies Skip, "You were soaked to the bone when Father brought you here. And The Lords Of Light only know how long it's been since that thing was cleaned last. Why would you wear such an impractical outfit this far north in the dead of winter anyway?"

"I don't really own much else," she replies, "When will I be getting them back?"

"Soon," says Skip, "Until then we can give you something a little more practical to wear."

"Thank you," says the sorceress, "My name is Princess Ariel."

"Glad to meet you," says Skip.

"We brought you some food," says Bella.

"You've been asleep for a week," adds Donna, "You should be pretty hungry."

It's at this moment that Princess Ariel realizes just how hungry she is. She lifts the large silver dome and finds a tray filled with fried eggs, bacon, sausages, ham, and waffles, with a small ceramic pitcher of syrup and a large pewter mug of steaming hot cocoa. The sorceress pours the syrup onto her waffles, then picks up her fork and digs in. The two sisters stand there staring at her as she eats, looking as though they have something on their minds.

"What?" asks Ariel as she takes a sip of her cocoa.

"That Thundarr is really quite handsome," says Bella.

"I've noticed," replies Ariel.

"Have to two ever . . . ?"

"That is none of your business," says the sorceress.

"Okay," says Donna, "But have you ever seen him naked?"

Princess Ariel smiles, "Well we _have _traveling together for a long time," she says.

The two sisters giggle at the thought. Skip shakes his head at his sisters' flirtations. They're always like this with new people. "Come on, you two," he says, "Leave her to her meal. You three can have your girl talk later."

Bella and Donna join their brother and leave the sorceress to her meal. She digs in with zeal, relishing the sensation of real food settling into her stomach. While her table manners are considerably more refined than Thundarr's, especially since he has none, she is no less enthusiastic in her eating.

Some minutes later, Bella and Donna return to Thundarr's room. They have with them a pile of clothes, as well as a pair of fur trimmed boots. They place the items on the foot of Thundarr's bed, then stand there staring at him. The barbarian tries to reach for the clothes, but finds that he can't without exposing himself to the two sisters.

"Do you mind?" he asks.

"Not at all," says Donna.

"Go right ahead," adds Bella, "You won't bother us."

"Leave!" hisses the barbarian, getting more than a little fed up with the girls' constant flirting.

The sisters heave a collective sigh, gather Thundarr's dirty dishes, and then leave him to his privacy. Thundarr quickly goes and grabs the clothing that the sisters had brought him. There are a pair of pants, dark green in colour, like that of the needles of a fir tree. They're made out of a material not unlike the bedding he had been sleeping on. They appear to be too small for him, though when he tugs at them they seem to stretch. Shrugging his massive shoulders, Thundarr slips the pants on quickly, less those two small but very amorous sisters return. He then slips the boots onto his feet. Surprisingly, they fit his feet almost perfectly. He then picks up a red velvet vest, lined with white fur. Shrugging his shoulders once again, he slips the vest on. Then he grabs the black leather belt that the girls have provided for him, and buckles it about his waist, using it to hold the vest closed. He briefly inspects himself in the mirror. While he vastly prefers the furs that he is so used to, he does admit that these garments get the job done. Now that he is dressed, Thundarr exits the room in order to try and find Ookla and Ariel.

As soon as Thundarr enters the hallway, he sees a tall figure wearing a long red cloak trimmed with white fur. The barbarian quickly walks up to the person and takes them by the shoulder, turning them to face him. His eyes widen as he sees it is Princess Ariel. She is wearing a green dress, not unlike the tight green pants which have been supplied to Thundarr. The dress is cut very short, barely coming down past her groin. It has long sleeves, going all the way down to her wrists, and a plunging neckline, showing a healthy amount of cleavage. Like the cloak she wears, the hem of the dress, as well as the neckline and the cuffs of the sleeves, are trimmed in white fur. She also wears tall black boots, not unlike the golden ones she usually wears.

"Thundarr!" cries Ariel in surprise, "Thank Heaven you're alright!"

"Lords Of Light!" exclaims the barbarian, "Ariel! I was just coming to find you!"

"Nice outfit," says the sorceress with a smile, "Looks good on you."

"I was thinking the same of you," replies Thundarr, "You look like a taller version of the two sisters that gave me these."

"So you've met Bella and Donna too?"

"Aye," says Thundarr, "They seem to have taken a . . . liking to me."

"Come on," says Ariel with a smile, "Let's find Ookla. If he can't find us soon . . ."

At that moment, the door across the hall bursts open, coming right off of its hinges. Thundarr and Ariel turn with a start, to see Ookla standing there holding the broken remnants of the bedroom door. He's wearing a dark green kilt with white fur trim, not unlike Thundarr's vest or Ariel's cloak. Ookla shrugs his great hairy shoulders apologetically, then tosses the broken door aside. The mok then grabs his two friends in a great hug, as he is very relieved to see that they are both well.

"Easy, old friend," gasps Thundarr.

"We missed you too," croaks Ariel as she tries to breathe.

Ookla quickly sets his friends down as he sees that they're okay. While prone to emotional outbursts, of both anger and joy, Ookla is very careful not to harm his more fragile human friends. He begins speaking to them in the grunts and growls of his peoples' bestial tongue. Thundarr listens and nods his head as Ookla recounts what has happened.

"What is it?" asks Ariel, who isn't nearly as fluent in Mok-Speak as Thundarr is, "What did he say?"

"He says that the last thing he remembers is carrying us through the blizzard," replies Thundarr, "Then just as he began to black out, he heard bells jingling in the distance. Then he has a vague notion of taking a hot bath, like remembering a dream long forgotten."

"I felt that too!" says the sorceress.

"Then he says he woke up here," continues Thundarr, "In a warm bed, next to a crackling fire. He was fed and given fresh clothes to wear, but his composite mok bow is nowhere to be found."

"Skip said that this is a place of peace, that there's no need of weapons," says Ariel.

"If Gemini's mutants find this place, the only peace these people will find is in the grave."

"We must find the town's leader and warn him."

"Agreed," says Thundarr, and he storms down the hall to find the exit.

Just as the three friends reach the front door to the house, they run into their small host, Skip. The little man beams a friendly smile at the three heroes as he greets them.

"Ah, you've dressed!" he exclaims, "Excellent!"

"We need to speak with your community's leader," says Ariel, "now."

"This sounds serious," says Skip, "Is anything wrong?"

"It is serious," replies Thundarr, "And it is best if we speak to your leader on this matter."

"Very well," says Skip, "That would be Father. If you would follow me, I will take you to him."

"Lead the way," replies Ariel.

Skip turns on his heel and walks out the front door of the building, Thundarr, Ookla, and Princess Ariel following close behind. As they are lead down the main street of town, they see all manner of beings decorating the town for some sort of celebration. Tiny people, much like Skip and his sisters, working along side normal sized humans. And they in turn work along side mok's. While this is not all that unusual, they are also working alongside various species of mutants. Tiger-Men, like those who worked for the villain Judag, the rat-like groundlings, and Hog-Men like those that worked for the wizard Artemis, are all working side by side with them as well. They are hanging wreaths of pine boughs on the doors of their homes, stringing up garland made of holly all about town, and hanging sprigs of mistletoe over the thresholds of doorways.

"It looks like you guys are preparing for Christmas," says Princess Ariel.

"Christ . . . mas?" asks Thundarr.

"A holiday, celebrated every winter," explains Ariel, "But nobody has observed that ritual for over a thousand years."

"We do here," says Skip, "In fact, the town of Yule was founded entirely on the lessons of the holiday."

"And what lessons are those?" asks the barbarian.

"Why, peace on Earth and good will towards your fellow man," replies the tiny fellow.

Skip takes the three friends to the town square. There they find several men, moks, and groundlings working together, decorating an enormous fir tree growing in the middle of town. They hang glass ornaments and strings of brightly coloured beads on the branches. Overseeing the efforts is a tall, broad shouldered man wearing a long red coat with white fur trim, and a long red pointed hat, with a white ball of fur dangling from its tip. Skip walks up to him and tugs on his sleeve.

"Father," says the little man, "Your guests are here."

Father turns around and faces the three friends. He has a great round belly, and a long white beard that is extremely thick and hangs halfway down his chest. He's dressed all in red, except for the edges of his clothes which are all trimmed in white fur. When he sees his guests, he places his hands on his great belly and laughs.

"Ho ho ho ho!" he says, "Welcome to the town of Yule! And Merry Christmas!"

Princess Ariel's jaw just drops, "You have _got _to be kidding me."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Princess Ariel stands there, mouth gaping open, as she stares at _Father, _their host. Thundarr and Ookla see Ariel's reaction to the town's leader, then look back and forth between _Father _and their friend in confusion.

"What?" asks the barbarian, "What is it?"

"_You're _Father?" asks Ariel, "As in _Father Christmas?" _

"I am," says the bearded man, "And yet I'm not."

"I don't understand," interjects Thundarr, "What's going on?"

"Father Christmas was a mythical figure in the days of Old Earth," explains Ariel, "He didn't exist, except in children's stories."

"If you come with me," says Father Christmas, "I shall explain." He then turns to Skip, "You're in charge," he tells the little man, "Be sure the groundlings don't overdo the decorations. You know how they love shiny objects."

"Of course, Father," replies Skip.

The man who, for all intents and purposes, is Father Christmas, turns and walks towards the largest house on the street. Not knowing what else to do, and having questions which need answering, Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla follow him into the house. The big man removes his long coat and his hat and hangs them on a hook on the wall. While his belly is quite large and round, his arms prove to be thick and heavily muscled. He motions for the others to follow him, then leads them into the study. There he takes a clay pipe down off the mantle and packs the bowl with tobacco. The large man snaps his fingers, causing a small flame to spring to life from his fingertip. Lighting his pipe with his flaming fingertip. Then he sits in a large, comfortable armchair and puffs thoughtfully on his pipe.

As their host makes himself comfortable, Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla look about the study. There is quite the collection of ancient artifacts cluttering up the shelves and tables, mostly Christmas decorations of every imaginable kind. On the book shelves are various books about the Christmas season, including crafts books, cook books, and of course story books. There's a copy of _The Night Before Christmas, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, A Christmas Carol, _and_ A Charlie Brown Christmas, _just to name a few. Their host motions for them to sit down, which they do.

"So tell me," says Father Christmas, "How much do you know about The Great Cataclysm?"

"Only what I've read," replies Ariel, "That a runaway planet passed between the Earth and the Moon some two thousand years ago, destroying mankind's civilization and casting the survivors into darkness."

"Then came the wizards and the mutants," adds Thundarr.

"This is true," says Father Christmas, "But it isn't the whole story. You see, I was there two thousand plus years ago. I witnessed the fall of man's civilization and the birth of the wizards."

"How old are you?" asks Princess Ariel.

"At the time the runaway planet arrived," he replies, "I was fifty two years old."

"What? But I thought you said . . ."

"I said I was Father Christmas, but at the same time I was not."

"I still don't understand," admits the sorceress.

"My birth name is Chris."

"Kringle?"

"McLean, actually," he says, "My family owned a small toy store in a town not far from here. My great grandfather started the business, building the toys himself. He made marionettes out of wood, teddy bears, rag dolls, China dolls, all sorts of things. The store, and the skills required to make the toys, were passed down from generation to generation. Eventually demand for my family's toys waned, replaced with mass produced, highly commercialized toys. In order to stay in business, we had to order these other toys to sell in the store. But we continued the tradition of making our own toys as well. Every Christmas, the patriarch of the family would dress up as Santa Claus to hand our hand made, unsold toys out to the underprivileged children in town."

"Who is Santa Claus?" asks Thundarr, to which Ookla just shrugs.

"Santa Claus is another name for Father Christmas," explains Ariel, "He was also known as Kris Kringle, Saint Nicholas, and Santa Klaus."

"The men in my family tend to grow big of belly and thick of beard," says Chris, "So once our eldest male's hair began to turn white, he begins to look like Saint Nick."

"So how does this explain your presence here? Or why you're masquerading as Santa Claus?"

"Well, in the year 1994, all that I had ever known was destroyed. The runaway planet itself was destructive enough, but it was the planets tail which caused the most damage, and the most drastic changes."

"Its tail?" says the barbarian.

"When you see a comet passing the Earth by, it has a tail trailing behind it. It is a common misconception that this tail is a trail of flames following in the comets wake. That is only true when the comet enters Earth's atmosphere. When flying through space, a comet's tail is made up of debris caught in the comet's gravitational pull."

"Huh?" says Thundarr, scratching his blonde head.

"Like a magnet pulling bits of metal behind it," explains Ariel.

"Debris in a comet's tail is made up of bits of the comet itself," continues Chris, "The bigger the comet, the bigger it's tail and the debris therein. Thus a comet the size of a planet . . ."

"Has some very big debris in its tail," concludes Princess Ariel.

"When the runaway planet passed between the Earth and the Moon, the Earth was bombarded with the worst meteor shower it had seen since the dinosaurs had been wiped out ten million years before."

"Die . . .no . . .saurs?" asks Thundarr.

"I'll explain later," says Ariel, not wanting to interrupt their host again.

"These meteors were highly radioactive, with an energy unlike anything we had here on Earth. They landed in our oceans. They landed in our cities. They landed in our lakes and rivers. And thus began the age of sorcery."

"The rocks from the stars created sorcery?" asks Thundarr.

"The energy the rocks generate created sorcery, and mutants," replies Chris.

"When my home town was destroyed by the meteors, I sought refuge at a local hot spring. The warmth of the water kept the chill at bay as I worked to build shelter and find food. Others came and built their homes around the hot spring as well. Eventually we had a small community develop. We would bathe in the hot spring, using its waters to keep us clean as well as take away the chill. It was shortly after this that we learned that one of those meteors had landed in the hot spring. It gave the waters strange new properties, regenerative properties."

"The pool keeps you young!" exclaims Princess Ariel.

"Much more than that," says Chris, "It cures ailments, heals injuries, restores ones health."

"Then that sensation I had of being immersed in water . . ."

"Was not your imagination. You were very near death when I found you. It was the magic pool which healed your bodies and brought you back from Death's clutches."

"Does that mean . . ."

"That you will live forever? No. You must bathe in the pool daily for it to have such an effect."

"What would happen if one under the influence of a wizard's curse were to enter the pool?" asks Thundarr.

"I do not know," admits Chris, "I suppose it could cancel the spell. Why?"

"You don't think . . ." begins Ariel.

"That this is precisely where those mutants are taking Gemini? Aye, I do."

"Can the pool even change him back to flesh?" asks the princess.

"Whether it can or not, they will destroy this town in order to find out," replies Thundarr, "Chris! You must have your people prepare for battle!"

"I cannot," says Chris, "We are a peaceful community. We have no weapons."

"How can you have no weapons with all of these moks, groundlings, and mutants in your community?" asks the barbarian, "These are warrior races! I'm surprised they even live together in the same town!"

"Yes," agrees Ariel, "Moks and groundlings are lifelong enemies. I have never seen them get along before today!"

"A truce between the two races was difficult," admits Chris, "Groundlings having evolved from rats, and moks from lions, they had been enemies since before either race was even sentient. And the hog-men, their less evolved ancestors having been slaughtered and eaten by humans for centuries, certainly had little love for humans. But all intelligent beings have free will. They can choose to be good or be evil, cruel or kind, wonderful or wicked, just as humans do. If taught to be cruel, that is how they will behave. If taught to be kind . . ."

"So you simply showed the groundlings kindness and they decided to change their evil ways?" asks Ariel.

"There was a bit more to it than that," admits Chris, "But that is the core of it, yes."

"Well Gemini and his mutants will not be stopped with kindness," says Thundarr, "If you want your peaceful community to stay that way, then I will have to stop them for you."

"_We _will stop them," Princess Ariel corrects him, "You always seem to forget that we're a team."

Ookla howls a response in his bestial tongue and gives his friends a thumbs up gesture of support.

"Very well," concedes the barbarian, "_We_ will stop them. But I will be needing my Sunsword back, and Ookla his bow and stun arrows."

"As you wish," agrees Chris, "I have no cause to stop you. And I am not ignorant of the outside world. I have heard of this Gemini, and I would rather he not use my magical pool to be made flesh once more."

The man who looks so very much like Santa Claus sets aside his pipe and gets up out of his chair. He marches over to a wooden chest and opens it. Reaching in, he pulls out a pair of heavy leather bracers, a mok bow, a quiver of stun arrows, and Thundarr's Sunsword. He hands them over to the barbarian and his large leonine friend. Thundarr and Ookla retrieve their lost property. The blonde barbarian now feels much better now that he has his bracers on once more, the golden hilt of his Sunsword now resting comfortably upon his wrist.

"So what happened to Christmas?" Ariel asks their host as her friends retrieve their lost property, "Why did people stop celebrating it?"

"When the runaway planet was first discovered, and news of its arrival was released to the public," replies Chris, "many people sought salvation through prayer. Christians of all denominations prayed in churches, Jews in temples, Muslims in mosques. Though for all of their prayers, the comet still came and destruction still rained down upon the most devout and faithful. Many of those worshipers died on their knees, despite their pleas to their gods. Thus faith in the gods of Old Earth waned, and with it their traditions and holy days. Then with the birth of the New Gods, The Lords Of Light and The Lords Of Darkness, man's faith turned towards more . . . tangible deities."

"You've seen the birth of The Lords Of Light?" asks Thundarr.

"Well, not _personally," _replies Chris, "Not their assention into godhood. But I saw the people's faith sway towards deities one can see and feel."

"Their assention into godhood?" asks Ariel.

"Yes," replies Chris, "The New Gods were once mortal like you and I. Their ancestors were among Earth's first sorcerers and wizards. Every generation became more and more powerful, until eventually one day, they just shed their mortal coils and became creatures of pure energy. Those who were kind became the Lords Of Light. Those who were wicked became the Lords Of Darkness. And those who worship them gain boons far more tangible than a promise of a great reward after their deaths."

"I never realized," says Thundarr.

"Don't feel bad," says Chris, "Even among the most educated people in the world today, the true story of how The New Gods came to be is known by but a scarce few."

The three friends leave Chris's comfortable home, now more determined than ever to stop Gemini and his mutants. While Thundarr had never heard of Christmas before, his life being a constant struggle for survival making a day of peace and good will impractical if nothing else. However this community had existed for two thousand years on the holiday's teachings, and had even turned groundlings and other mutants away from the path of evil. And Thundarr would be damned if he was going to let this peaceful community be destroyed by a wizard's madness. As the three of them are marching towards the town square, they hear a familiar voice calling to them.

"Ariel! Ookla! Thundarr!"

They turn and find a very attractive young woman of about 19 years of age, wearing a short skirt and matching top made of ragged red cloth, come running up to them. She grabs Ariel in a fierce hug and squeezes. A look of recognition suddenly crosses Ariel's face.

"Tai?" says the sorceress, "Is that you?"

"Who else?"

"Swamp urchin?" says Thundarr, "You've grown!"

"I'm not a swamp urchin anymore, Thundarr," says Tai with a scowl, "And my eyes are up here!"

Thundarr quickly looks away as he realizes that he was staring at her breasts. Ariel steps in to ease the tension between the two. Ever since they first met, when Tai had offered to help Thundarr and Ariel rescue Ookla from the carocks, there had been a tension between them. Thundarr always treated her like a child, and Tai had never truly forgiven Thundarr for fighting her pet swamp beast, Arak.

"What are you doing here, Tai?"

"I've been wintering here every year for the past few years now," replies the girl, "I bring them their last delivery of supplies just before the snows start. Then I stay through the winter and continue my deliveries in the spring. But what about you guys? What are you doing here?"

"Gemini is on his way here," says Thundarr.

"Gemini? I thought we left him trapped in a stone skin years ago!"

"We did," replies Ariel, "But his followers have heard of the magic pool which keeps Chris young, and they plan on using it to turn him back to flesh."

"And I get the feeling Gemini is the type of wizard who wakes up grumpy," says Tai.

"I don't think he'll be in the Christmas spirit," agrees Ariel.

"Then let's stop him!"

"That's the spirit Swamp . . . I mean, Tai," says Thundarr.

Ookla pumps his fist in the air and howls his agreement.


End file.
